Natural Yellow Cat's Eye Opal 13.50ct Oval Cabochon
€17.90 EURSKU: ot1596
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A substantial oval cabochon in a warm lemon yellow that deepens toward honey where the dome is thickest. The material is dense and even in color, with faint paler cloud-like zoning visible just under the polished surface. Running across the width of the dome is a soft chatoyant band, broad and diffuse rather than a tight line, and it strengthens noticeably under a single warm light source, where it draws into a clearer stripe down the center.
Chatoyancy, the cat's eye effect, comes from a dense parallel arrangement of fibrous or tubular inclusions inside the stone. Light reflecting off all of them at once collapses into a single band at right angles to their direction, and that band travels as the stone or the light moves. It shows best under a point source, which is why the eye reads more sharply under a spotlight or incandescent bulb than under diffuse daylight. Cat's eye opal is an uncommon form of the species, and this material comes from Africa. It is untreated. At 13.50ct and 16.2x13.8mm it makes a generous pendant or a bold ring stone, and opal's 5 to 6.5 hardness suggests a protective setting. Opal is the October birthstone.
Natural yellow cat's eye opal, chatoyant, Africa, sold loose.
We ship worldwide from Sofia, Bulgaria. Every order is packed in a protective box with bubble wrap. Orders within Bulgaria are dispatched within 1-2 business days and international orders within 2-3 business days. Free shipping is applied automatically at checkout, and the threshold applies to the order value after any discounts.
Delivery within Bulgaria
- Delivered by Speedy, Econt or Box Now, to a courier office, a locker or your address.
- Fixed prices: Box Now locker €1.60 (free on orders from €25), Speedy office €3.20, Econt office or locker €4.00, Speedy to your address €4.50.
- Free shipping on orders over €50, with any courier and at any weight.
- Cash on delivery is available.
- Delivery normally takes 1-2 business days after dispatch.
- Hardness
- 5-6.5
- Cleavage
- None
- Durability
- Poor
- Soapy water
- Safe
- Ultrasonic
- Avoid
- Steam
- Avoid
About opal
Opal is amorphous: unlike most gems, it has no crystal structure. It is made of silica and water, and in precious opal the play of color comes from microscopic spheres stacked in neat rows that split light. It is 5.5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale and sensitive to knocks, heat and sudden temperature changes.
Cleaning
Warm water, a drop of mild dish soap and a soft brush, then rinse and dry with a soft cloth. Skip ultrasonic and steam cleaners: opal contains water and can crack (craze) with vibration or heat. Never use oil on it.
Wear and storage
The cat’s eye line comes from fine parallel fibers or needles inside the stone, which also make it slightly less tough than a clean faceted stone, so treat the domed surface gently. Below 7 on the Mohs scale, it can be scratched even by household dust, which contains quartz. It suits pendants, earrings and brooches better than rings worn every day. Store it on its own in a soft pouch, away from harder stones.
For your jeweler
This opal is untreated. Opal should be kept away from the torch flame, acid pickle and the ultrasonic bath. A bezel or another protective setting suits it best.
Scale
True to scale: 16.2 × 13.8 mm
Shown next to a €1 coin (23.25 mm) in the exact ratio, so you can picture the real size.
